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County planners approve several projects in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board approved several projects on Thursday, including a woodworking business in Kendall, a gravel pit and office addition in Barre, a new church in a Barre home, and an auto repair shop in Ridgeway.

Here are highlights from the Planning Board meeting:

Gerald Solazzo has planners’ support for a church within his residence in Barre at 13404 Gray Rd.

Solazzo is a minister in the Order of Melchizedek and wants to start The Church of the Healing Christ. He would have services, perform marriages, do counseling, Bible reading, praying and healing services at the site, which is in a remote part of the county surrounded by woods.

Keeler Construction has the Planning Board’s support for a gravel pit at 13517 on land owned by Patricia Keeler. The site was last mined about 30 years ago.

In the company’s application, Scott Scharping, chief engineer for Keeler Construction, said Keeler will not mine more than 1,000 tons per year from the site, which is an average of less than a truckload of material per week. Mining hours are proposed for between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Keeler also is planning a 1,063 square foot addition to an existing 1,950 square foot office building.

Planners said the changes to the building and the gravel pit are logical fit within the existing Keeler Construction complex and would likely be unnoticed by most motorists passing by on West Lee Road (Route 31A).

Brian Voelker, owner of Five Star Automotive, has the board’s support to move his business from Albion to 3922 Salt Works Rd. in Medina in a light industrial district.

Voelker, a Middleport resident, wants to use about 2,700 to 3,200 square feet in a complex of buildings owned by Barnes Metal Finishing.

Karl Driesel wants to open a woodworking business at 1750 Kendall Rd. Driesel wants to construct a 50-by-104-fot building to manufacture custom mill working with the southeast corner of the building used as a showroom.

A detached 18-by-32 foot building would be on the northwest side of the main building and be used for sawdust collection. There will be no painting or finishing work other than sanding.

Planners recommended the Town of Kendall approve the site plan for the project.

The project has one unusual issue. A portion of the Crandall Avenue is actually part of the property and was never acquired by the Town of Kendall. County planners said the town should take over that section of the road.

County plans upgrades to Marine Park

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am

New playground, shore power, WiFi, dock surfaces and stairway among improvements

Photos by Tom Rivers – This staircase will be replaced as part of an improvement project at the Orleans County Marine Park in Carlton.

CARLTON – Orleans County is pushing forward with its plan for many improvements to the Marine Park on Route 98 in Carlton, a $163,000 project that will be 50 percent funded by the state.

The park will see new shore power at all 36 docks for boaters, a new stairway and walkway on the north side of the park, a new playground and new composite dock surface for the 36 docks that are either 24 to 28 feet long.

The County Legislature approved an agreement with the State Department of State on Wednesday to move forward with the project.

The county had sought a bigger project, but only had half of its request approved by the state late last year.

When final construction and improvement costs come in, the project may need to be modified.

“We didn’t get all of the money we wanted, so we had to pare some things down,” said Jim Bensley, the county’s senior planner and Marine Park manager.

The county is also planning to add shore power, WiFi, and replace the finger dock surfaces with a composite material.

Bensley expects much of the work will occur after the boating season, perhaps in the fall or next spring.

The county had sought a study to help reduce ice damage for the finger docks. That project was nixed with the smaller grant.

Each dock serves two boats, giving the park along the Oak Orchard River a capacity for 72 boats.

The park has become a popular spot with a concert series and also for people who enjoy a picnic by the pavilions. The county wants to move a playground closer to the pavilions and farther away from the concert area.

In addition to projects in the grant, the county also is planning on added wireless Internet service with WiFi for boaters and at the main office.

“We know there is a lot of interest in it,” Bensley said about WiFi.

The county on Wednesday also approved buying 117 exterior lights for the Marine Park and at Point Breeze at a cost of $21,049. National Grid will pay $8,390 towards the lights, with the county paying the other $12,659.

Mustang Band brings home several awards from Cleveland competition

Contributed Story Posted 29 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photos, Medina Mustang Band

MEDINA – The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, from May 21-24 to compete in the Music in the Parks Festival and brought home several honors.

The Jazz Band earned a first place superior rating with a score of 97.5. Wind Ensemble came in first with a superior rating and a score of 92. In parade, Medina earned a first place superior rating and a score of 97.5.

In addition, Madison Holland received the overall best jazz soloist award.

The band returned home in time for the Memorial Day parade and was led down the street by guest conductor, Mike Dreyfus, along with Drum Major Chris Keller. The band will head to Gorham today and Saturday to compete in that festival.

The band is pictured in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Warm weather, big fish draw people to The Point

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

POINT BREEZE – Another nice May day and the prospect of a hooking a large trout or salmon brought people to Point Breeze to go fishing and boating,although some people seemed happy just take a stroll along the pier and lakeshore.

Miranda Fuller and her husband Joel made the trip from Oakfield to try to catch a fish. They said they had had a few bites but hadn’t caught a fish by 8:30 tonight.

The Fullers said Point Breeze is one of their favorite fishing spots and they are frequent visitors.

Joel Fuller is pictured standing on a rock along the pier with the sun setting at Point Breeze.

The forecast for Friday shows a high of 74 with lots of sun, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

It will reach 86 on Saturday and then drop to a high of 61 on Sunday with an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.

Instructor retires after years of making exercise class lots of fun for seniors

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Leslie Allen (in orange) leads a group of senior citizens in an exercise class today at the former Albion Grammar School on East Academy Street.

ALBION – Leslie Allen has run an exercise class for senior citizens on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. She mixes in lots of humor and banter, as well as gimmicks, including “Crazy Sock Day,” which was today’s theme.

Today was also Allen’s last day on the job. She is retiring after leading the class for six years for the Office For the Aging.

Allen has a steady group of about 20 senior citizens. She makes the class fun, while leading the group in free weights, cardio, isometrics with an exercise ball and a cool down. It’s part of the OFA’s efforts to improve balance and strength, to help seniors with fall prevention.

That may sound like a chore, but Allen has made the class enjoyable, said Ann Batt, a regular in the class.

“It’s just fun,” Batt said. “We’re like a family.”

Allen shows off the sock she wore for “Crazy Sock Day.”

Allen and the group have holiday parties and other days with costumes. (Batt dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween.)

Batt and other class members said they wish Allen well in her retirement.

“She will be missed,” Batt said. “We’re happy for her.”

Allen said the class members have been successful in improving their balance. She sees many other benefits to the program.

“We’ve become a family,” she said. “They keep in touch with each other, sending each other cards and staying connected.”

Leslie Allen joins some of the class members for a photo on “Crazy Sock Day.”

The class will continue with Michele Sargent hired as the new leader of the low-impact exercises.

Allen thanked the class today for their friendship.

“They’ve taught me how to age gracefully and to do it with humor,” she said.

Governor proposes additional corrections officers as part of justice reform plan

Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos from Governor’s Office – Gov. Andrew Cuomo meets with inmates at the Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie today. He also met with prison staff.

Press Release
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today called on the State Legislature to pass a proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York.

Following a tour of Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie, the governor also announced that the state will hire an additional 103 full-time correctional officers to bolster safety and security throughout the state’s network of correctional institutions.

“Raising the age will fundamentally improve both our justice system and public safety – and with the funding to make it happen already set aside, it is imperative that the legislature pass this reform before the end of session,” Cuomo said. “By allowing the status quo to continue as is, we are relegating hundreds of teenagers each year – mostly young men of color – to an abusive prison environment that makes them more likely to commit crimes in the future. That is not only an injustice; it is an injustice that compromises public safety, and we must make a change. It’s time for the Legislature to raise the age.”

Cuomo meets with corrections officers and prison staff at Greene Correctional Facility today.

New York State is one of only two states in the nation that automatically prosecute 16- and 17-year olds as adults. Currently in New York, youth are detained with the adult population in local jails while awaiting trial. If convicted as adults, these teenagers are then matriculated into the greater adult prison population.

Cuomo and other advocates calling on the Legislature to pass legislation to Raise the Age, which follows recommendations from the Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice. Under the Commission’s recommendations and as outlined in the bill before the Legislature, 16- and 17-year olds will be processed as juveniles for all crimes except for crimes of serious violence and all minors will have access to rehabilitation services.

This year’s budget includes $135 million, some of which will be immediately available to local governments upon enactment of legislation to Raise the Age.

During the visit, the Governor also highlighted the importance of supporting a safe environment for inmates and correctional officers. Over the last several years, violent incidents at adult correctional facilities have increased. In an effort to reverse this trend, the state is hiring an additional 103 full-time correctional officers. Hiring for these officers will begin in the next several months and all 103 will be in place by the end of the year.

“We must raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York,” said Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York. “Sending 16- and 17-year olds to prison for what are often offenses that do not warrant it actually increases the rate of recidivism, and it subjects these predominantly minority teenagers to horrible conditions of abuse. The human brain is also not fully developed at this age, so it is simply unjustifiable that we are subjecting these young men and women to this kind of hostile environment, which only sets them on a path to a future of heightened crime.”

Electrical issues closes Albion urgent care site until Friday

Staff Reports Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The Albion Urgent/Primary Care site is closed until Friday morning “due to a brown outage causing some electrical issues,” said Cindy Perry, director of outreach, education and marketing for Orleans Community Health, owner of the site at the corner of Butts Road and Route 31.

The brown outage was caused by a limb from a tree in Albion, Perry said.

“The issues have been fixed and inspections are taking place today,” she said. “The building and all services will reopen tomorrow morning. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Albion student wins $1,000 GCASA scholarship

Contributed Story Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo from GCASA

An Albion student is a winner of a $1,000 scholarship from the GCASA Foundation Board. Carol Pritchard, center, is pictured with Kathleen Maerten (left), GCASA Foundation Board president, and Christy Zell, Selection Committee member and GCASA Board member.

The GCASA Foundation awards two $1,000 scholarships each year with a winner in both Orleans and Genesee counties. The scholarships were presented Wednesday during a luncheon at Terry Hills in Batavia.

Carol Prichard was picked the Orleans County winner. She is a senior at Albion High School where she is a member of the National Honor Society, Drama Club, Yearbook, Art Club, Latin Club, Women’s Select Chorus and Literary Magazine.

She volunteered with the Orleans County 4-H Fair as a survey assistant, the Farmers Market in Albion working as Kid’s Day “Face Painter” and Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in medina as a Kid’s Program photographer.

Carol completed a high school internship at GCASA, working in the Albion Prevention program and with Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition. Susan Starkweather-Miller, school-to-career coordinator, commented in her recommendation letter that Carol’s placement at GCASA “further cemented her interest in pursuing a degree in psychology and a career in the human service field.”

Carol’s essay described how her personal experiences and the compassion demonstrated by school guidance counselors helped her gain a clear understanding of what she wanted to do after graduating High School. Carol plans to pursue a degree in psychology at SUNY Purchase where she has been accepted.

Job Corps program turns 50 this year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature presented a “Special Recognition Award” to the Iroquois Job Corps Center on Wednesday. The Job Corps program is in its 50th year nationally. The Iroquois center opened in 1966.

County Legislature Lynne Johnson, second from right, presents the certificate to Melinda Maedl, business and community liaison for the center, which ranks among the top centers of the 122 in the country.

Job Corps students Ibrahim Abdul-Aleem and Keyana Mitchell both addressed the County Legislature on Wednesday, giving testimonials about the program which has taught them job skills and built their confidence to enter the workforce.

Job Corps is a residential program providing vocational and other life skills to at-risk youth.

Abdul-Aleem comes from New York City. He said he looks forward to a career in the building trades.

“The things you get from Job Corps are hard to get in my neighborhood,” he told legislators. “People say in Job Corps we are bad teen-agers or people who don’t have discipline. It’s not like that. It’s people who want to get their lives better.”

County accepts bids to replace bridges, culverts

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Orleans County is moving forward with three bridge replacements and two new culverts.

The County Legislature on Wednesday accepted a $430,199 bid from Keeler Construction in Barre to replace two culverts on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway over the Oak Orchard Creek.

The county also accepted a $322,935 bid from Redman Construction in Brockport to replace a bridge from 1968 in Barre in the muck on Oak Orchard Road over Manning Muckland Creek.

The county will also replace a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton. C.P.Ward from Scottsville submitted the low bid, $486,606, for the project.

The work will be paid for as part of an $8 million bond the county took out last year for a series of infrastructure projects over three years.

The county is also working on the East Scott Road Bridge over Fish Creek in Ridgeway. The Legislature approved a $49,600 contract with Barton and Loguidance of Syracuse for engineering services for that project, which will likely go to contractors for construction next year.

County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray said the bridges in Barre and in Carlton that will be replaced were in danger of being “red flagged” by the state Department of Transportation with weight reductions. That would make travel more difficult, especially for the farm equipment in the muck, Gray said.

Besides the two bridges this year, the county in 2016 and 2017 plans to replace bridges from 1959 in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road, one from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road.

The county also plans to replace four other culverts in 2016 and 2017, besides the two for this year on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway. The others include two on Platten Road in Yates, and two on South Holley Road in Clarendon.